The Orcula, The orcs of the Ox Plains

Orcs, goblins, and other greenskins have been chased out of Erekiath a long time ago, in the name of peace. A small tribe of orcs, known as the Orcula, or The orcs of the Ox Plains, remains in the western part of Erekiath on the Ox Plains. They had always isolated themselves and stayed away from the other races, as such they managed to negotiate amnesty and were allowed to stay in Erekiath.
Although the Orculas have many violent traditions and rituals, they are generally peaceful towards outsiders. They have no desire to plunder, or to conquer territory. Instead, they focus on their status within their tribe, which is usually influenced by how well they hunt, and whom they manage to mate with.
Because of the amnesty, the Orculas are protected by the law just like any other citizen in Erekiath. They are however allowed to govern their tribe as they see fit, as long as it doesn't affect anyone outside the tribe.
Even though they are considered part of Erekiaths population, they tend to stay isolated in the western part of the Ox Plains, where they have a small tribal village setup near The Glistering Stream, a large river that also runs past Aurora, the capital of Erekiath.
They are largely self-sustained, from hunting bison and oxrabbits, fishing, and foraging the lands. They do not farm the land, except for individuals who tend small gardens of their own.
Male and female alike live primarily for the thrill of the hunt. Although there are very few predators on the Ox Plains to satisfy such a thrill, the hunters compete over downing the biggest bison, and collect their horns and male genitalia as trophies. Although they compete for trophies, they tend only to kill what they need. If they were to deplete the hunting grounds, it could anger the Erekian leadership, and end up being forced to leave.

Trade and Commerce

Gold has very little value for the Orcula, instead, they barter with their goods. Being self-sustained they're not dependent on trading with the outside world, although they do trade with them fairly regularly.
Traders from the outside have discovered the high quality of the leather and hide that the Orcula have, often come by to trade, especially during spring and summer.
In exchange for their leathers and hide, the Orcula primarily receives cheap art, wine, or ale. Sometimes they also trade for weapons, as the weapons crafted by outsiders are usually of a higher quality.
The Orcula do their best to treat the traders well, in fears of invoking the wrath of the Erekian leadership, and some traders undoubtedly take advantage of that.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The primary language of the Orcula is Grim Tognue, but are also taught to be fluent in Erekian, as part of their agreement to stay in Erekiath.

Shared customary codes and values

Honor is very important for the Orcula. Being dishonorable means you've failed as an orc, and are not worthy of participating in the great hunts. Furthermore, the dishonored tribe member loses the right to proclaim the right of mating by combat. It is also rare that a dishonored member will be the target of affection in the right of mating by combat, although it is not considered dishonorable if the target of affection is dishonored, as the needs of an honorable member are more important.

Becoming dishonored

In order for a tribe member to be declared dishonored, one or more witnesses to a dishonorable action will charge the tribe member by reporting them to the chief of the tribe. He will then listen to the accusations, and allow the charged member to tell his side of the story.
When the chief is satisfied that he has gotten all the information he needs, he will immediately pass judgment. He may choose to reprimand, dishonor, or in very rare and severe cases sentence the accused to death.
If the accused have received a reprimand prior to the incident, he will be stripped of his honor in lieu of getting another reprimand.
Being dishonored means that you're barred from hunting together with the tribe, and you are not allowed to proclaim the right of mating by combat. Furthermore, most tribe members will likely distance themselves from the dishonored tribe member.
The chief also has the power to dishonor a tribe member at his own discretion, if he feels there's a valid reason to do so.

Regaining honor

It is possible for a dishonored tribe member to regain their honor.
The dishonored can choose to repent, by showing remorse and rectifying the error they committed. Given enough time, the chief may choose to regrant them their honor again.
Performing feats of heroism is also a good way to regain honor. Depending on the deed, the chief may consider them redeemed and regrant them their honor.
It is also possible for a dishonored to impress his tribe by bringing back impressive trophies from a hunt. These must be extremely impressive, to the point where they are record-breaking, or very close to it.
If a tribe member's honor is restored the chief announces this to the tribe, and they will immediately start treating them with respect again.
The chief can also choose to restore the honor of a dishonored tribe member at his own discretion if he feels there's a valid reason to do so.

Common Etiquette rules

If there are disagreements between two members of the tribe, it is usually settled through combat. It is considered common courtesy to issue a warning prior to attacking, not doing so is in fact considered dishonorable. The instigator can choose to attack with weapons but is expected to wait for the defender to arm themself.
There are only two conclusions to the combat, either one of them admits defeat or one of them is killed. In either case, whatever disagreement they had is considered settled, and the victor was in the right.

Negrash you spineless rabbit! Arm yourself! I've come to prove to everyone here that I never mated with you!

— Dura, Orcula tribe member

Common Dress code

The Orcula mostly wear leather and fur, from the bison and oxrabbits that they hunt on the plains. In spring and summer, they wear as little as possible, to show off their physique. Males only cover their pelvis area, while females also cover their breasts.
In winter the temperature doesn't allow them to dress as lightly, and the wear thick fur pants and coats. Dresses and skirts are very uncommon among the Orcula. Both genders tend to wear tight-fitting leather when they want to dress appealing. They don't dye their clothes, so usually, their clothing have a very raw look to it.

Art & Architecture

Although the Orcula appreciates fine art, especially drawings or paintings, they are not very skilled at making it themselves. What little artwork they do have, they acquired through trading with the outside world.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

The Chief

The Chief is chosen by all the honored members of the tribe. A chief is elected for life, and won't be replaced unless he decides to abdicate, or he dies.
When a Chief decides to abdicate he is allowed to suggest a successor, but it is still up to the honored members of the tribe to decide, although a former chief's words usually carry a lot of weight.
The chief has almost absolute power, except for breaking traditions or changing them. On rare occasions, additional rules have been added to rituals, including changes made to the right of mating by combat.
Only the chief can suggest these changes, and it is then up to the honored members of the tribe to decide. If the change is decided, the chief will announce it, and the rule will be effective immediately.
Apart from interfering with traditions, the chief has absolute power and can implement any changes he wishes, at any time. It is however considered honorable for him to share his reasons for making changes of any kind.
A chief can technically become dishonored if he fails to follow the rules of the tribe, but since only the chief can cast judgment this rarely happens. If a chief were to strip himself of honor, we would automatically abdicate as well.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Births are solely handled by the females of the tribe. Since it in most cases is hard to know who's the father, there's no such thing as a father or dad for the Orculas.
Although the tribe as a whole has a strong bond with the children, the individual bond between parent and child is not as strong as many other races, this is also true for the females. Females breastfeed each other's children loosely, and they try to wean the children off the breast, as soon as possible, so that the men of the tribe can start helping with the care.
All children of the tribe will be cared for equally by all members of the tribe until they're considered adults.

Coming of Age Rites

There are no specific age at which point a child is considered an adult, this happens as soon as the child completes The First Hunt.
The First Hunt is a test all children will have to face eventually. They are sent out of the village, with any equipment they can carry. All they are required to do is bring back meat, equal to their own weight. It doesn't matter if they down ten oxrabbits, or a young bison, as long as they bring back enough meat. The challenge lies in the ability to track and kill, but also to carry the meat home before it turns bad.
Upon coming back to the village, the chief will decide if the meat was sufficient, and if that is the case, he will announce that the child is now an adult, after which the tribe will throw a feast in their honor, using the meat they brought back.
As soon as someone is an adult, the tribe no longer supports them. They're supposed to support themself, and failing to do so, can in some cases cause them to become dishonored.
There are sometimes unfortunate consequences for a child to be skilled enough to finish the first hunt at a very young age. As soon as they've been declared an adult they can become a target of affection in a proclamation of the right to mate by combat, which can be quite traumatic for a young orc. This is also why some adults that had a similar experience, may caution the kids about taking the first hunt too soon.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Death is inevitable for everyone in Phantobra, and the Orculas is no exception.
When a chief or honored tribe member dies, a funeral pyre is erected, and the deceased tribe member is burned on it. The entire seance happens in silence, not even crying is allowed during this. When the pyre burns out, the chief speaks a few words, to send the deceased on his way to the afterlife, after which the funeral is over. It is usually at this time, most tribe members retreat back to their homes, to grief in peace.
If the deceased is a dishonored member, his corpse will instead be given back to nature, for the animals to feed upon. Usually, the corpse is dragged outside the village and left there. For the rest of the day, no one is allowed to speak the name of the dishonored deceased. The tribe considers him a failure, for not managing to reclaim his honor, before dying.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Since a good physique is very important for the Orcula, a muscular body is considered attractive for both sexes.
The tusks of the orcs can also influence the perceived beauty of an individual. For males, large tusks are generally considered a good look, unless they are deformed.
For females, the opposite applies. Shorter and thinner tusks are considered attractive. As such, females tend to groom their tusks more than males, and even sharpen them, to keep them slim and short.

Gender Ideals

Although their violent traditions usually favor the males, because of their superior physique, they consider men and women as equals, with the same rights. The only difference is that females are protected from some of the violent rituals, during pregnancy.

Courtship Ideals

Lust outweighs love when it comes to romance for the Orcula. Courtship can be initiated by either sex and is usually lust-driven. If an orcula finds another attractive, they announce their desire to mate, loudly and proudly for everyone to hear and proclaim the right of mating by combat.

The right of mating by combat

Sometimes the announcement of the right of mating by combat can be quite melodramatic, while other times it's more direct.

I Gromgarr, desire to mate with the beautiful Grendwell. I hereby proclaim the right of mating by combat. Resist if you must, it will only add to my pleasure!

— Gromgarr of the Orcula

Once the right of mating by combat has been announced, they attack the target of their affection. Combat ensues, and if the instigator wins, they get to mate, whether the other party wants to or not. Although the mating by combat ritual is proclaimed in public, the act of mating must not be done in public. It is up to the instigator to find a suitable place for that part.
Although there are no rules about using lethal weapons for the courtship ritual, it is rarely done, as the instigator has no interest in harming their would-be price. Additionally, it is considered dishonorable to defend with weapons against an unarmed foe, even if that foe is the attacker.
The right of mating by combat can only be proclaimed in public, and the target of affection needs to be present. This rule ensures that the privacy of one's home is not broken.
Should the instigator lose the combat, he will be publicly humiliated. An Orcula that cannot follow up on their word, is considered weak.

You can label it however you want. Whether it's a right of mating by combat, or rape, it's still the same thing in my book! Where it up to me, we would drive these greenskins off our lands!

— Tobyn Reginald, Knight of Rahn

Contrary to popular belief from outsiders, it is not only the males that proclaim the right of mating by combat. Almost a third of the proclamations are instigated by females. That number could potentially be higher, if it wasn't because the female carries all the risk, in terms of getting pregnant.

Exceptions to the rule

There are six exceptions where the right of mating by combat cannot be proclaimed.

1. If the target of affection is visibly pregnant.
2. If the target of affection is not an adult.
3. If the target of affection is not a member of the Orcula.
4. If the target of affection is of the same sex as the instigator.
5. If the instigator is considered dishonored among the tribe.
6. If the target of affection is clearly in a weakened state or wounded.

The first two rules were made to ensure the safety of the child, while the third rule was a necessity in order to be allowed to stay in Erekiath.
The fourth rule is deeply rooted in Orcula culture, as they consider the lust for the same sex both dishonorable and unnatural. The sixth rule is a fairly new rule. There have been prior instances, where the right of mating by combat was used as exploited as personal punishment, by people grouping up, and taking turns to proclaim the right of mating by combat, on the same person. This is technically still allowed, but if the target of affection is treated bad they will be considered in a weakened state.

Relationship Ideals

Due to the chaotic nature of their courtship rituals, the Orculas don't pair up. As such, many live by themself, in small huts or tents in the village. This is in no way a lonely existence, as the Orcula spent very little time at home. Mostly they use it as a place to sleep, entertain guests, or bring potential mates home, often through the right of mating by combat.
Due to their polygamous nature, it is often hard to determine who is the father of a child. Childcare is shared among all adults of the tribe, with the females being the primary caretakers during the infancy state. It is not uncommon for a woman to breastfeed a child they did not give birth to.
This shared approach to childcare creates a strong bond between the children and the adults of the tribe, giving a strong sense of unity across the tribe.